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MAC 217 Brush: Worth The Hype?

I've actually already done this post earlier this year but when looking for it to link in a recent tutorial, I realised that I've accidentally deleted it somewhere along the lines. I think that the MAC 217 is one of the most highly talked about products that a lot of people, including myself wonder at some point "Is it worth the hype?" I thought I'd redo the post, not exactly but thereabouts to let you know what I think and if it is worth the hype.

The MAC 217 Blending Brush is just that. A big fluffy brush for blending the shadows into the crease and on the lid. Many beauty gurus often talk about this brush and segregate it from other MAC brushes as being "holy grail".

I received one earlier in the year as began to use it immediately to find out for myself what all the fuss was about. My first impression was that it's alot bigger than I had previously imagined but when using it, it slotted perfectly into my crease to produce a great blended colour. This brush is quite long and fluffy which allows it to really work the colour onto the lid.

At a steep $24 it is definitely pricey for what it is considering you can get a bunch of good Real Techniques Brushes for the same price. Despite this flaw in price, I would say that this is a good brush to have in your kit but there are probably lots of dupes available out there.

Overall I would say this brush is worth the hype but that does not mean to say that I would buy it again as I do believe there will be similar brushes on the market for a fraction of the price.

Xoxo

A Guide to MAC Lipsticks

When first buying a MAC lipstick, it can be very daunting. Being bombarded with questions when asking for help in store... Cremesheen? Lustre? Matte? Frost? Along with more, I decided today to explain what each finish actually is to hopefully make it easier for everybody when buying a lipstick from MAC and essentially, to create a guide to MAC lipsticks.

Cremesheen: This is my personal favourite MAC formula, it is very creamy and smooth to the lips. I like it because rather than being sticky or drying, it provides a moisturising texture that blends seemlessly into my lips for a lovely finish. Whilst only lasting for a couple of hours, it's easy enough to reapply.

Popular Cremesheens include- Creme Cup, Shy Girl and my personal favourite, Modesty.

Matte: I love the look of matte lipsticks but I find this formula very drying and difficult to blend into the lips. It is very long-lasting, the most durable of all the MAC formulas, lasting for approximately 6 hours. It provides a lovely matte finish but I'm not a fan due to the difficulty with blending it into my lips. I prefer a smooth moisturising formula despite preferring the finish of a matte lipstick.

Popular Mattes include- Velvet Teddy, Lady Danger, Candy Yum Yum and Russian Red.

Lustre: This formula is very creamy and smooth to the lips which I love however it is quite a sheer finish, it can easily be built up but essentially, it appears as more of a tinted lip balm than a lipstick. They aren't super long-lasting and do require reappliance however you can get a couple of hours out of them.

Popular Lustres include- Patisserie, Plink, Hug Me and my personal favourite Syrup.

Frost: This formula provides a very shimmery finish which can make them more unwearable and looking "frosty". These lipsticks last longer than lustres with a couple of hours duration before needing to reapply. They are a little glossy but not as much as Cremesheens or Lustre.

Popular Frosts include - Angel and Costa Chic.

Glaze: This formula provides an even sheerer coverage than Lustre. It is quite glossy but also looks natural. Glaze lipsticks duration time is an obvious flaw, with them only lasting an hour or so.

Popular Glazes include - Hue and Pervette.

Cremesheen Pearl: This formula is a mix between Cremesheen and Frost. They are creamy and moisturising but with a little frosty undertone.

Popular Cremesheen Pearls include - Coral Bliss and Pink Pearl Pop.

Amplified Creme: This formula is very creamy and glossy but not quite as long-lasting as it could be. These lipsticks are very bright and "Amplified".

Popular Amplified Cremes include - Vegas Volt and Girl about Town.

Satin: This finish is quite matte but a much less drying formula. They provide the lips with a little sheen and last a long time, a good 5 hours. They are quite opaque but have a lovely finish.

Popular Satins include - Rebel and Snob

Retro Matte: This formula is similar to the matte finish but much more drying on the lips. For that reason, I personally try to stay away from them because they aren't creamy or moisturising. It includes lovely colours but the extreme matte finish is very drying.

Popular Retro Mattes include - Ruby Woo and Dangerous.

These complete the standard MAC lipsticks! I hope this was helpful and makes buying MAC lipsticks a bit less daunting and hopefully enables you to buy the formula that you are looking for.

Xoxo

Favourites: Products I've been loving

Since I haven't posted in quite a while (which is going to be changing), I decided to fill you in on the products I've been enjoying these last few months. There are quite a few because I really wanted to vary the different types of products in this post, I always wanted to go into more detail so be prepared for a long post...

1. MAC Modesty Cremesheen Lipstick
This lipstick was a gift for my birthday and I'd been wanting it for a while. It's a very warm nude colour leaning towards the brown side, quite similar to Velvet Teddy but being a Cremesheen finish rather than a Matte. I personally prefer cremesheens because they feel much smoother and moisturising on my lips. I also find it easy enough to dab some powder over my lips should I want them matte. I find nudes really wearable with any look and I've been reaching for this and my next favourite lots recently.

2. Soap & Glory Sexy Motherpucker Gloss stick in Nudist
This is probably my favourite lip product. I have used it so much that it's actually becoming blunt because I use it so much, its definitely going to be a re-purchase. These gloss sticks are very different to the other crayon-based sticks that I've tried from other brands. Not only does it smell like Vanilla but it is also extremely moisturising on the lips whilst still looking lovely and glossy. I'm not the biggest fan of lip glosses as I find them sticky but this one is different, the formula is lovely and I find this colour extremely flattering for all skin tones.

3. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
I used to love this pallette and use it with every look but somewhere along the lines it got shoved to the back of the drawer, along with most of my eyeshadow collection, but then recently I dug it out, dusted it off and began to use it again. I've been hooked since, every eye look I have to encorporate these shadows in because the texture is lovely and the colours are so wearable with so many looks. This palette contains highlight shades, crease transition shades and overall lots of neutrals that are easy to work with colours. This is definitely a holy grail product.

4. MAC Eyeshadow in Blackberry
I've always been a fan of purple eyeshadows because the purple really brings out the green in my hazel eyes. Purple is a great colour for all eyes but I especially love encorporating it into my eye looks. I love to run a bit of this matte shade under my lower lash line and in an outer V on my lid with some shades from the Naked Basics palette.

5. Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl Mascara
I received this mascara as a gift a few years ago. I know that's bad, keeping a mascara that long but I hadn't used it and recently I began to. It's the perfect mascara for both volume and length. I'm not a fan of the "clogged up" lashes coated with three or more layers but that look is achievable with this mascara. However, I much prefer to use it in a way that separates my lashes whilst providing both length and volume. It's very affordable too which is nice.

6. Bethany Mota Perfume by Aeropostale
My little sister actually first bought this perfume in Florida and wore it the whole holiday. I became obsessed with the smell and she bought it for me for my birthday. It's quite a sweet smell, not everyone's cup of tea but I perosnally love it. It's very difficult to describe scents but I would definitely give this a sniff the next time you're in Aeropostale to see what you think.

7. Pandora Rings
I was blessed with recieving both a Rose Gold Michael Kors Watch which I love and two Pandora rings for my birthday. I have worn them all so much and I really love the way the rings look together, I've been wearing them most days.

8. Crest 3D White Whitestrips
I purchased some of these whitening strips to use before prom. I have used them before and I love them. The pack consists of 14 strips to use for 5-30 minutes depending on how bright you want your smile and how fast. I used a strip for 30 minutes the first night and the next day got asked if I'd had my teeth whitened. These work so quickly at transforming your smile and I would 100% recommend them.

9. Clearasil Rapid Action Treatment Cleansing pads

I don't use these cleansing pads everyday because I can be quite lazy with my skincare, mostly only using moisturiser and cleanser once or twice a day sometimes but when my skin is suffering with lots of blemishes, I like to give it a wipe with one of these pads. They smell very strongly of alcohol (one of the ingredients) but it works at reducing the redness of my blemishes quickly. I have a review on them which I will link at the end of the post.

10. Bath & Body Works Coconut Leaves Candle
I purchased two candles from Bath & Body Works back in April: Tiki Beach and Coconut Leaves. They were my first B&BW candles and the scent really does release to the whole room and all the house. These scents are like the Carribean and seriously remind me of holidays and summer. Whilst I haven't lit Tiki Beach yet, I hold high hopes as I have been loving Coconut Leaves.

11. Photobox photobooks
This has got to be my go to birthday present now. It's an easy, personal website that allows you to print photos very cheap and get them delivered straight to your door as well as producing unique gifts such as phone cases and photobooks. I love making photobooks and I would definitely recommend looking at this website, they often have deals on too.

12. Netflix
As always, I've been loving Netflix and helping my sister catch up with Once Upon A Time and mum with Pretty Little Liars. It's also great to have a Netflix day with friends and discover new films and TV shows.

13. Skype
I've never been one for phone calls or video chats but recently I've been enjoying skyping and doing it a lot more often for hours at a time. It's just a really easy, fun and free way to socialise without having to leave your house!

xoxo

Related Reviews:
Lip Crayon Comparisons - http://pinkcupcake7.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/lip-crayon-comparison.html
Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette Review - http://pinkcupcake7.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/urban-decay-naked-basics-palette-review.html
Clearasil Cleansing pads review - http://pinkcupcake7.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/clearasil-rapid-action-treatment-pads.html
Florida Haul - http://pinkcupcake7.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/florida-haul.html

Worth The Hype? Benefit Hoola Bronzer

For Christmas this year, as part of a gift set I received Benefit's Hoola bronzer. Obviously this product is highly recommended by beauty gurus and I thought I'd do a "Worth The Hype?" to express whether I think it deserves the hype it gets.

This product is very highly pigmented. The colour is a matte, warm brown. Before this bronzer, I had loved NYC's Sunny bronzer which is a similar warm brown shade. The warmth of this bronzer makes it easy for it to suit most skin tones. My best friend also has this bronzer and I know she swears by it despite her being a much fairer skin tone than me.

This can be used to contour and just for general bronzing of the face and it can be layered to look more heavy or lighter. I personally think you have to be careful because it is so pigmented so to avoid looking "muddy", I make sure that I tap excess product off of the brush before applying it to my face.

This product I have been told "lasts a lifetime". It contains 8g of product and retails at £23.50. I think it is worth the hype.

xoxo

Nume Lustrum 5-in-1 Set

For Christmas, I received the Nume Lustrum 5-in-1 hair curlers set. It includes a glove as well as 5 different barrels to attach to the curlers.

These curls below were both done by the medium barrel. I've taken a picture of both short and longer hair done with this medium barrel.

These curls are done with the largest barrel so its more beachy waves than curls.

Then these curls are with the smallest barrel.

Then there are these two other barrels. The bobbly barrel creates irregular curls and remind me of older Taylor Swift curls. There is also an inverted barrel for curls that are smaller at the bottom and bigger at the top.

Overall, I love this kit and would definitely consider buying it.

xoxo

Chicago: Top 10 Sees

Chicago is one of my favourite cities. There is so much to do and see and I love spending a few days or weeks in the summer. During winter obviously it's very cold and windy but in summer it's lovely and warm and perfect for a trip or holiday. These are all my own photos so some of them aren't great and some places I didn't have a photo of.

1. Navy Pier

This is my ultimate favourite thing to do in Chicago. I love going down to Navy Pier which is a huge pier that has several ice cream shops and restaurants as well as rides, a Ferris wheel and a fun house. During the summer, a lovely thing to do is to spend an afternoon at Navy Pier and get an ice cream as you walk down and watch the boats. It's lovely.

2. Millennium Park

This is another one of my favourite things to do in Chicago. Millennium park is home to The Bean, a large bean shaped mirrored piece of art which is featured in lots of films and TV shows. Im sure you'll have seen it on something. You can get some great photos here. As well as the bean, millennium park also has two large fountains where lots of children play around in the water. On a warm summers day, this is a refreshing trip and you can get lots of wonderful photos. It also has several parks. It's a lovely place to visit.

3. Lincoln Park Zoo

This zoo is one of the largest, best zoos I've been too but the major advantage is that it's free. It is perfect for spending a day at if you have a large group of people or not much money as it's completely free to enter and is funded on donations.

4. John Hancock Centre

This doesn't take up a full day but it's a good thing to do during your stay. John Hancock Centre is a skyscraper in the centre of Chicago. It allows you to go to the top and do an audio tour. Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, you can listen to your headset as you look out at Chicago. Narrated by David Schwimmer, this is a great way to get to know Chicago a little better.

5. Magnificent Mile

This is a long street with lots of shops. It's perfect for beauty and fashion lovers.

6. Wrigley Field

Even if you don't like sport, a game is great at Wrigley Field.

This is made of lego

7. The L Train

My family and I didn't have the best experience with this train as my dads wallet was stolen so be careful about that but it's a great transport. The equivalent to the "tube" or "subway" but on stilts. It is a good, unique way of transport.

8. Fireworks

I think it's twice a week that there are Fireworks above the water at Navy Pier. Whether you watch it from the top of a skyscraper or from Navy Pier itself, it's a magical way to spend the evening and one of the best firework displays you'll see.

9. Weber Grill restaurant

As far as eating goes, I loved Weber Grill which obviously is a bar and grill. I love steak so this was definitely the place for me.

10. Giordannos restaurant

If you want a traditional Chicago pizza which you should try before you leave then this is the place for it. It gets very busy though so booking would be a good idea. I actually saw Kesha in here when I was there last.

I thought I'd mention that I stayed at the Four Seasons hotel in Water Tower Place which was a lovely hotel above the shopping mall. It was very pricey but the best hotel I've stayed in. Our suite overlooked the John Hancock centre and the lake. This is a very fancy hotel but such a nice one. It also had its perks of being above a shopping mall. I did some damage there! My little sister also loved it as this mall was home to an American Girl shop which is a huge doll shop. Despite being too old for dolls, I had fun in here too! You have to go in to believe it but this store has a doll hospital and cafe as well as having so many varieties of dolls to choose from to look just like youz You could also go to the boutique and have her hair done or ears pierced! It's three floors and it's like nothing you'll have seen.

Water Tower Place also has a big Lego store which she loves too.

Overall, Chicago is a beautiful city and I can't wait to go back.

Xoxo

Benefit They're Real Mascara Review

Despite never having tried the full size version of this product, I have three sample small versions of the mascara. I will review them as I have been using them for a few months now.

This mascara is my holy grail mascara. It gives length, volume and separation whilst still not looking overly dramatic unless you layer it lots. I like natural looking mascaras usually but this one is my absolute favourite.

It makes such a difference and is suitable for people who like both dramatic lashes and subtle ones because this is a product that you can layer very easily.

This product retails at £19.50 for a full size which I do definitely think is worth it. It is UK's best selling mascara and I can see why. I would recommend buying the sample size though because I love it, its convenient as its small and great for travel.

xoxo

Nail Polish Collection

I have alot of nail polishes but it's because my sister used to be a beautician and she gave me alot of her old OPI, Orly and Jessica polishes when she sold her salon.

Barry M nail polishes are my favourite. Especially the Gelly ones. I find them to be great quality and I have them in the shades: watermelon, blue grape, green berry, plum and Christmas tree.

Essie is another great brand. These are the colours clambake, fashion playground and bikini so teeny.

Jessica polishes are good quality but these need a good shake as I haven't used them in a while. I love the sparkly black shade.

Reckon parfumerie polishes are scented polishes and the ginger melon one smells amazing. I can't describe the scent but it's lovely. I also like the surf spray sparkly blue colour.

These Topshop colours are lovely pastel shades and are the colours boy next door and flying saucer. The problem with these is that they are quite opaque so you have to put more than two coats on.

These Ciaté polishes are quite new to my collection. I have two full sized ones and then seven minis. The pastels shown in the photo as well as a red and glitter one. I also have a few top coats.